The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly agreed to a three-year deal to bring in D.J. Augustin over the weekend. How does the pact grade out though?
They say there’s no rest for the wicked and that certainly applies to what has been a frenzied offseason for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Among their many additions over the weekend, the Bucks were able to fill in their backup point guard spot by agreeing to a three-year, $21 million deal with journeyman guard D.J. Augustin. As The Athletic’s Eric Nehm tweeted Sunday afternoon, the third year of Augustin’s deal is non-guaranteed.
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Considering Augustin is stepping into the role left behind by George Hill as he heads elsewhere as part of the Jrue Holiday blockbuster deal, Augustin has big shoes to fill when it comes to replace the Bucks’ previous sixth man.
To his credit, though, Augustin brings many of the same qualities as well as the scoring spark that could help him enjoy success in Milwaukee while occupying a similar role to that of Hill.
With that in mind, let’s dive further into the reported signing of Augustin, look at the various ways he’ll impact the Bucks and hand out a final grade on the agreement.
The value of D.J. Augustin’s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
Having recently turned 33 years old, shelling out a three-year, $21 million deal to Augustin does have plenty of risk to it. Especially as he has 21,638 NBA minutes under his belt at this stage in his career, both regular season and playoffs combined.
As Nehm reported, though, having that non-guarantee in the final year of Augustin’s deal gives the Bucks much needed flexibility, especially amid all of the questions that surround the Bucks’ long-term future. That keeps with the M.O. that Bucks general manager Jon Horst has historically done in past multi-year deals in free agency with George Hill and Ersan Ilyasova, among others.
That doesn’t change the addition of Augustin completely, but it certainly leaves Bucks fans breathing a sigh of relief that the Bucks have an out at the end of the contract, depending on how it is structured as well.
Still, Augustin stands as the biggest free agent signing the Bucks have made this offseason as they used most of their $9.3 million non-taxpaying midlevel exception to bring in the former Longhorn. That’s not an insignificant factor to consider and the Bucks fans that may be skeptical of Augustin’s signing may be wondering if the Bucks’ best free agent resource would have been best spent elsewhere.
That may or may not be justified, but it will all be determined by how Augustin fits into the Bucks’ foundation and he’ll have an ample amount of minutes to do so.
Exploring D.J. Augustin’s role with the Milwaukee Bucks
There’s no illusion to what kind of role that Augustin will be asked to serve in light of the Bucks shaking up their roster going into free agency.
While they have landed a superior upgrade at the point guard spot with Holiday, parting ways with Hill certainly was tough to swallow, albeit necessary to get such a deal done. Now with Augustin reportedly in the mix, they have a veteran capable of bringing the stability and shooting they need off the dribble at the lead guard spot.
The 33-year-old had been used to occupying a starting role during his four years with the Magic, more so than at any other stay he’s had over his NBA career. But the Magic had been transitioning Augustin to a reserve role after handing the keys over to Markelle Fultz.
With the Magic potentially turning towards a new direction, Augustin was seemingly free to look for another landing spot, especially as one of the more quality options out there in free agency from the lead guard position. And teams like the Bucks, the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks were among those that had a reported interest in Augustin going into free agency.
In the end, the Bucks won out with their combination of offering up rich offer with most of their midlevel exception, a meaningful role within their rotation and playing for a potential championship contender.
Examining D.J. Augustin’s fit with the Milwaukee Bucks
With a likely sturdy role available to him now that he’s coming to Milwaukee, Augustin’s looking to realize the clear fit as the team’s new sixth man behind their new leading trio.
Of the many free agent guards out there, it’s Augustin who brings the instant offense and reliability the Bucks need from such a role, especially after dealing with away Hill as part of the Holiday trade. It certainly helps that Augustin has been a career 37.9 percent 3-point shooter and has recently put together some of his most efficient campaigns in his now-completed stint with the Magic.
While most have focused on the fact that Augustin is coming off a down shooting where he averaged 10.5 points per game on 34.8 percent shooting from three, Augustin’s 41.6 percent shooting on catch-and-shoot triples last year is a positive indication in his ability to playoff the ball. Surely, though, it will be encouraging to see him hit shots off the dribble to the degree that he did in 2018-19 when he hit 38.9 percent of his threes off the dribble.
For the scoring spark he provides, Augustin’s level-headed playmaking and ability to initiate a team’s offense at the 1 is also a positive facet to look towards when it comes to projecting his role in Milwaukee. Having a career 2.65 assist-to-turnover ratio only speaks to the smart decision making he has historically brought to the table and the same goes for his 26.7 career assist percentage.
It’s on the defensive end where Augustin may be the most limited and where some of the concerns surface in bringing in the 12-year NBA veteran.
Standing at 5’11” and armed with a 6’3″ wingspan, Augustin certainly is on the slighter size and differs from the long, rangy and athletic point guards the Bucks have favored in meaningful roles (two-way Frank Mason III would be an exception here if he played more). How will that fare within the Bucks’ defensive scheme where they ask their point of attack defenders to fight through screens and contest shots from opposing ball handlers?
That’s where, if Bucks fans are continuing with the comparison of both Augustin and Hill, will tend negatively in the change between the veteran guards and former teammates. With that said, the Magic were able to build top-10 defenses in each of the last 10 years under head coach Steve Clifford and with Augustin playing many minutes on a nightly basis.
Either way, Augustin may be tested on that front, even if he has shown a competitiveness and has the speed to keep opposing guards in front of him under such situations.
What’s the final grade on D.J. Augustin’s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks?
Fairly or unfairly, all Bucks fans will view the Bucks’ offseason on their failed bid to bring in Bogdan Bogdanovic and there’s no question that Augustin’s addition has been affected by it. That obviously led to Augustin getting a deal nearly worthy of the non-taxpaying midlevel exception at $21 million over three years.
Even with the rich offer that led to the Bucks winning the mini-Augustin sweepstakes, he still will play a valuable role that none of his reported suitors could have matched to Milwaukee, with or without their star-studded scenario in play and having gone down the tubes so publicly.
Having a veteran guard capable of bringing the sizzling shooting, especially off the dribble, that Augustin has historically been able to provide fills a need for a Bucks team that needs all of the shot creation they need beyond their cornerstones.
Between that and the solid decision making he brings at the point, Augustin arguably has the most impactful role of any of their reported additions in the offseason. When it comes down to it as their roster stands and the fact that they’re constricted in making more moves financially due to the cap, it’s hard to disagree with that assessment.
All in all, Augustin hits the boxes of filling a need the Bucks had to address in light of the swing for Holiday and Augustin fits right within the what they need behind Holiday specifically. With that pathway there for him, Augustin will just have to show the production that the Bucks will expect him to bring upon coming to Milwaukee.